Japan Ordinary Steel Export Drops by 14.5% in January

Japanese ordinary steel products export decreased by 14.5% to 1.603 million tonnes in January from a year earlier, representing decreases for 14 months in a row, announced by Japan Iron and Steel Federation on Thursday. The export of major products decreased widely including 20% down for hot rolled wide strip coil and 46% down for cold rolled wide strip coil. The ordinary steel products export decreased by 12.8% from December, representing first decrease in 3 months. Japanese iron and steel export to South Korea decreased by 6.4% to 581,000 tonnes in January from a year earlier, representing decreases for 13 months in a row. The export to China decreased by 32.3% to 325,000 tonnes, representing decreases for 5 months in a row. The export to Thailand decreased by 14% to 292,000 tonnes, representing decreases for 3 months in a row. The export to Taiwan decreased by 14.3% to 229,000 tonnes, representing first decrease in 2 months. The export to USA increased by 47.6% to 130,000 tonnes, representing increases for 2 months in a row.